


A smile makes a lousy umbrella

by killerweasel



Series: A Smile Makes a Lousy Umbrella [1]
Category: Sherlock - Fandom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-18
Updated: 2012-11-18
Packaged: 2017-11-19 01:00:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/567261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killerweasel/pseuds/killerweasel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John gets Mycroft something special for his birthday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A smile makes a lousy umbrella

Title: A smile makes a lousy umbrella  
Fandom: _Sherlock_  
Characters: John Watson, Mycroft Holmes  
Word Count: 665  
Rating: G  
A/N: AU after _A Scandal in Belgravia_  
Warnings: none  


John knew the moment Mycroft had walked through the door of the pub. There was a brief moment of silence as the pub’s regulars studied the nicely dressed man in the suit. Then they went back to what they were doing. John held up his arm to get Mycroft’s attention.

As the taller man made his way through the crowded pub, John could tell he wasn’t comfortable. John had taken him out of his comfort zone. That was the point though. John was sick and tired of being kidnapped and taken to warehouses whenever Mycroft wanted to talk. For once, he wanted to meet somewhere normal.

Mycroft frowned at the worn leather of the seat before slowly sitting down. “You said you wanted to see me about some matter of great importance, Doctor Watson?”

“I wish you’d call me John.” John signaled the waitress for two more pints of what he’d been drinking. He ignored the look on Mycroft’s face. If the other man didn’t want to drink, he didn’t have to.

“What is so important I had to come to this... place, John?”

The waitress set the drinks down and John took a few swallows from the one in front of him. “Well, to be honest, I thought you might want to do something normal for a change.”

Mycroft blinked at him. “Excuse me?”

“It’s just that you always seem so...” John wanted to say lonely, but he wasn’t sure how Mycroft would react. “I don’t know. You look like you could use some time to just sit back and relax. You have to be under a great deal of stress, doing whatever it is you do.”

Mycroft was staring at John like he’d grown a second head. John had the urge to laugh, but thought better of it. Instead, he slid the other pint across the table until it rested in front of Mycroft’s hand. Mycroft slowly closed his fingers around the bottom of the glass. “Oh.”

“Anyways, I did have a real reason to ask you here.” John waited until Mycroft had taken a large drink from his pint before he reached under the table to pull out the long, black box. “Sherlock mentioned your birthday was coming up, so I got you something.”

Mycroft studied the box. John wondered how much he could deduce from the box alone. He’d tried to be sneaky, using a box that had nothing to do with the object inside.

“You got me a birthday present.”

It wasn’t a question, but John nodded anyway. “You don’t have to open it now if you don’t want to.”

Mycroft carefully removed the lid from the box and tugged the tissue paper to the side. He glanced over at John before taking out the item inside. It was a very nice black umbrella with a wolf’s head on the handle. Mycroft balanced it in his hands. “This is heavier than it should be. Nice shade of black though.”

John drained half his glass. “Have you figured out why it is so heavy?”

“I think I have an idea.” Mycroft turned the umbrella away from both of them before pressing his finger down on the wolf’s tongue. A six inch blade shot out from the tip. For just a moment, a very brief moment, John caught the glimpse of a real smile on Mycroft’s face. It made the man seem years younger. Mycroft stroked his fingers over the handle of the umbrella before gently pressing the button to retract the blade again. When he looked up, that smile was gone. The emotions had been bottled up inside once again. Well, most of them had. John could see something in Mycroft’s eyes that hadn’t been there before.

“Thank you, John. I don’t think I have anything quite like that.” He set the umbrella down on the table between them.

“You’re welcome.” He lifted his glass and finished the last of the beer. Then he gave Mycroft a grin. “Happy Birthday, Mycroft.”


End file.
